Trinamool, Congress fight separately in Tripura

Agartala, March 11 (IANS) The Congress and the Trinamool Congress are likely to put up candidates against each other in the two Lok Sabha seats in Tripura even as they forge an alliance in West Bengal. “We have shortlisted seven names for the two seats in Tripura and decided to form a tie-up with two tribal-based parties,” Arun Chandra Bhowmik, chairman of the Trinamool Congress in Tripura, told journalists Wednesday.

The two parties are the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) and the Nationalist Council of Tripura (NCT).

Elections to the West Tripura and East Tripura constituencies, which are reserved for tribals, would be held April 23.

The Trinamool Congress has already started its election campaign.

“After the selection of candidates, party leaders from West Bengal and actors Tapas Paul and Satabdi Roy will take part in the campaign,” Trinamool Congress state president Dulal Das said.

The main opposition Congress party is busy selecting nominees to contest the two Lok Sabha seats.

“There are seven Congress aspirants for the West Tripura seat and four for East Tripura,” Congress spokesperson Tapas Dey said.

The ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) led Left Front and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have declared their candidates for both seats.

Khagen Das and Bajuban Reang, both CPI-M central committee members who won in 2004, will again contest from West Tripura and East Tripura respectively.

Tripura BJP president Nilmani Deb will contest from West Tripura while veteran tribal leader Pulin Dewan will be the candidate from East Tripura.